Saturday, December 29, 2012

For example, the more a baby sleeps during the day, the more they will sleep at night.
That makes no sense to me.
But it is very true.

When a baby screams, you try to fix it.
Often there is no solution.
Or there is a solution (I.e. sleep), but they refuse.

But now that we are total parenting experts with a whole 8 weeks under our belts, every once in a while we do something, it works, and we look at each other and exchange a high five. Yes, literally a high five. Because it feels that exciting.
And, they're not usually high-five-able parenting revelations, but it makes us feel like we are learning. Slowly.

Examples...
When giving a baby a bottle, use a bib. They are messy. She is 8 weeks old and we just figured this out. No laughing.

Sometimes she gets bored. Okay, often, she gets bored. Just because she's 8 weeks old doesn't mean she wants to just sit around. My kid in particular. She expects a whole curriculum each day.

Rattles are amazing. They are amazing curriculum. My baby iPhone app said 8 week old babies like rattles so we literally ran like a bat out of hell to buy a rattle. Kid loves the rattle. Best purchase to date. Rattle goes everywhere she goes.

Jeremy gets all the credit for this one...if we are going somewhere late-ish and when we come home we will likely have a cranky kid because it is close to or past bedtime (8pm)....dress her in her pajamas so that when you get home, you don't have to change her again. She tends to get pissed when we pull a onesie over her head and we don't want to get her screaming before bed. So...dress her in advance. Then when you get home...feed...bed.

Never change a diaper before a baby eats. Unless you want to personally fund the Pampers employees salaries.

Those are examples of our good ideas and wise learnings. I have decided to leave out all the things that we have done wrong. It makes us look better.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

We love to travel.
We want our baby to love travel.
So we decided to take her down visit my parents place in Florida.
At 7 weeks of age.
Aggressive decision? Perhaps.
But she was fantastic!
And so we...
"Swam" in the pool

Visited the beach to see the dolphins.

Chilled poolside...

Rocked some sweet shades...

And took a bath in a salad bowl. Yep, a salad bowl. We didn't have a baby bath tub in Florida, so we innovated and went with a salad bowl. Hold the dressing, please.

Traveling with an infant...more of a trip, less of a vacation. But, we did it! And, we are crazy enough to consider going back in a month or so.

I'm still disappointed that she didn't get a set of 'wings' on the flight. Apparently they don't do that anymore. Mollie wanted wings for her her first flight. Instead she got peanuts.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

December 21, 2012 Mollie smiled.
Not an "I'm pooping" smile that is really just gas.
Nope, a full on smile from ear to ear.
A smile in response to our smiles.
This child typically makes very serious faces and I thought perhaps she would never smile.
It turns out, we just hadn't said anything funny enough to warrant a smile.

These past 7 weeks have been the most exhausting, emotional, hilarious and difficult weeks of my life.

And then she smiled. And it's all worthwhile. It's amazing what a smile can do.
This little smile changed everything.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

I took a close look at the droplets on the ceiling of Mollie's room today and confirmed the worst. It is, in fact, poop. Projectile poop. We most remedy this situation immediately. And by we, I mean you. There is poop on the ceiling in our daughter's room. It has been there for weeks.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Mollie's a little too young to really appreciate the holiday at this age...but we did our best to celebrate. Mollie's Great Aunt Helen bought Mollie her own Menorah.
We celebrated the first night of the holiday with my family over spaghetti and latkes. (I'm still grossed out by chicken, my brother in law doesn't eat red meat...so spaghetti it is!)
And then we lit Mollie's menorah for the first night of Hanukkah.

She didn't exactly appreciate the gesture.
The child doesn't really appreciate much after 5:30.
This was 7:30.
This video is her Hanukkah meltdown.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

I mentioned previously that two of my very best friends are also pregnant and due soon. (And a third due in April!) One of these friends, Rachel, was due with TWINS! (Twins are particularly close to my heart as my mom is a twin!)

Rachel was due January 12th, but her twins had a different due date in mind, and arrived this past Saturday!

It was a strange arrival for me. Not like I'm the mother, but ya know, it was strange for me.

Jeremy was out of town for the weekend attending one of his best friend's weddings. I was anxious to stay home alone for the first time, with our 4 week old baby so Debra offered to stay one night, and my sister the other night. Have I mentioned my friends and family are AMAZING???

Friday night Debra stayed over at our house and we had a slumber party. We stayed up talking and then fell asleep for a few hours before Miss. Mollie awoke for her first nighttime feeding. I fed her, and went back to sleep. She woke up around 4:30 as usual for her second nightime feeding. I fed her and went back to sleep.

Almost.

At 5:30 AM I got a phone call from Rachel (pregnant with twins). Rachel is NOT a morning person. However, pregnancy has robbed her of her ability to sleep. So, I thought perhaps she couldn't sleep and was calling to say hi.
And then I realized that nobody calls anyone at 5:30 AM to say hi.
And then Debra started screaming...GET IT..ANSWER THE PHONE. RACHEL WOULD NEVER CALL AT 5:30AM!!!!

I came to my half awake senses and answered the phone.

Rachel's water broke. They were on their way to the hospital.

The twins were on their way. Due date or not.

This is Debra and me...screaming with excitement, nerves and fear in bed after Rachel called...

And then we spent the next 4 hours laughing about the fact that the one time in our lives that we've had a sleepover....Rachel goes into labor.
And so we were together.
Two of the people who love Rachel the most.
Screaming like pre-teens at 5:30 AM.

Fast forward to 10:00 AM on Saturday.

Rachel and Sam welcomed their two amazing, beautiful children into the world. Six weeks early, but thriving nonetheless.

Welcome to the world Scarlett Marie and Burton Edward! You are so very, very loved already.

Rachel and Burton Edward

Scarlett Marie

Next up....Debra's baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mollie, I really hope you like these kids, because we really like their parents.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

First, huge thank you to my amazing friend Holly for posting the amazing posts while I was adjusting to life. I'm not sure if she is done or not yet, so she may just put in some more surprise posts. Love you Holly.

Just because I have not been posting lately does not mean I don't have things to share.

Oh boy do I have things to share.

I am not going to share every poppy diaper nor every photo I take. That's just not who I am. Nor do I think you care about that stuff. This is also not going to turn into an "All about Mollie" blog. Unless its entertaining. I will likely share a lot, but I still have things to share aside from her. Well...at the moment I do not. But, I anticipate in the future I will have things to share that do not involve her.

For today, I will share a quick story.

When envisioning how Jeremy and I would parent our child, I never thought we would be "typical" parents. Turns out I was correct. In many ways we are typical, but in many other ways...we are downright crazy.

Enter...nursing charades. We have a newborn baby. She eats quite often. I get pretty bored sitting in her room for hours upon hours feeding her. And...my Facebook friends don't post nearly enough in the middle of the night.

So I need entertainment.

And since I am biologically intended to feed her. I have decided that Jeremy should pull his weight by entertaining me while I feed her.

So we came up with..Nursing Charades

I feed baby.

He acts out things for me to guess.

Yes, this game was devised at 3:00am during a state of total exhaustion.

But it's an excellent game. It makes me think we should invent a box set of games to play while feeding infants.

Game #1: Nursing Charades.

Time passes much faster when you are screaming ..."Forest Gump...No, Olympic Games...No, I got it! MC Hammer!"

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving Eve to all the "Just Being Frankers." It's Holly again, here with the next in the Kara as a Mommy series.

Q1 - What is the best piece of advice you can give to Kara as a new mommy?

Q2 -Why is Kara going to be a GREAT mommy?

Here is what Kara's best friend Stacy had to say:Q1 -" I have been talking with Kara a LOT about this recently and what it comes down to is everybody has thoughts, tips, tricks and advice but what works for the Franks may not be what works for everyone else. So to Kara I would/have said follow your instincts they will always be right and know that there is no 1 way to do it. Kara, Jeremy and Mollie will create their own story on what works best for them as a family. So do what comes natural because that will be best, and don’t worry everything you are feeling is completely NORMAL!"Q2 - "Let’s be honest she has had a LOT of practice! I think Kara was born to be a mother, maybe not a stay at home mom but a fabulous, generous, endless loving, nurturing, kind, thoughtful and forgiving mother! She has “momed” most of us at some point in our friendship and is always there when you need her. Kara doesn’t have to try to be a great mom it comes natural, but I would guess even Kara will slow down just a little and become more patient as a mother. :)"

Feel free to play along in the comments with your additions and advice for Kara.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

My name is Holly and I am one of Kara's college friends. Since our lovely scribe is attending to the very cute new addition to her family, I have offered to babysit her blog in and out while the Frank family enjoys the first few weeks of being a family of five.

In prepping for my babysitting duties, I asked a few of Kara's closest friends to answer the following questions:

Q1 - What is the best piece of advice you can give to Kara as a new mommy?

Q2 -Why is Kara going to be a GREAT mommy?

Here is what Kara's good friend Rachel had to say:

Q1 -"Well, since I am not yet a Mommy myself(2 months to go!) I feel like I can't give her any real, practical, advice in this department yet. However, I can say that she should be kind to herself. I don't think any new Mom feels fully prepared for this new task. There will be many challenging moments ahead, she should trust her instincts and know that she has all of us(her family and friends) to support her, and learn along with her. It's going to be a crazy, incredible adventure!! And the great news is, we're not alone on it :-)"

Q2 - "This is easy! There are so many reasons! Because I don't know anyone who is more willing to go to the ends of the earth for the people she cares about. And I know that this quality will be taken to a whole new level with her own child. Bonus- she has one killer case of ADD which leads to endless activity, in other words...there will always be fun things going on at the Frank house. Oh! AND, she bakes some life-altering desserts....and I feel like a really great mommy always has cookie jar full of delicious-ness."

Stay tuned for more in our "Kara as a Mommy" series. Also, we know that Kara has been a great fur-baby mommy for quite some time: Punky and Stan please don't take offense to this title.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

As you all know, we love our dogs. A lot. Everyone said we would love them a lot less after the baby was here. People even said we might look at them like they were "wolves living in our house".

That is crap.

We are still absolutely head over heels in love with our dogs. And our baby. There's plenty of love to go around. And even more importantly, our dogs seem to love our baby. They have never seemed more relaxed or content (perhaps that is because we are always home now!)

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Hello everyone! As you saw...Mollie Cate Frank was born last Monday. We are delighted, exhausted, happy, emotional and mildly obsessed with our baby.

But, I think it's fitting that I start sharing some of the crazy stories that have already occurred. Because there have been many. Wow.

Here is the biggest lesson I have learned thus far. It is absoutely critical to maintain a sense of humor when raising a child. You cannot take anything too seriously (except obviously making sure they are cared for) and you just have to laugh. At least once per day we have found ourselves laying on the floor of her nursery, laughing until we cry. Laughter. It has been the critical medicine.

For starters...let me share the labor story. It's a good one.

October 28. My due date. One of my best friend's birthdays.

We could not plan to spend the day with her as we were not sure when the Franklet was going to arrive. So, we said we would play it by ear. On the morning of the 28th...no baby. No signs of baby's arrival. So...I called her and said...let's get this birthday party started. We met for brunch with our husbands, and had a lovely birthday brunch.

Debra and her husband went home after brunch to carve pumpkins and we parted ways for a bit as I wanted to walk around the lake in an attempt to 'walk the baby out'. We walked around one of the lakes...no baby.

We decided to meet up with Debra and Alex in the afternoon to resume Birthday celebrations at the Mall of America. I don't like the Mall of America. In fact, I hate it there. It's big, it's loud, it just freaks me out. But, turns out I really love my friend and would even go to the Mall of America for her.

She wanted to do some of the tourist attractions at the Mall because as locals, we just don't ever do those things there.

So we drove to the Mall and parked at Sears as it was the closest store to the first attraction, the "Mirror Maze". Yes, it is a maze of mirrors in the Mall of America.

We begin walking through the mirror maze and Jeremy starts panicking that my water will brake in the maze and he didn't know how we would get out. It is literally...a maze of mirrors. He plows ahead and tries to get us out of the maze as quickly as possible, extraordinarily concerned that I will birth a baby right in the middle of the maze.

We make it out of the maze, no signs of labor. Jeremy's mind is calmed. Well, as calmed as it ever is.

Slightly disoriented from the mirror maze, we begin walking through the Mall to our next attraction, Underwater World. On our way, we notice a Santa Claus in the Mall. Strange. It was not even Halloween yet. And then...we see another. And another. And by the time we get to the aquarium, we see about 50 Santas. Now, I was not feeling my best, and was disoriented from the mirror maze, and then confused by countless Santas. So, Debra walked up to one and asked why they were all here.

Turns out, there was a "Real Bearded Santa" convention at the Mall of America. Hundreds of Santas. Everywhere.

We walked through the aquarium, along with multitudes of Santas, saw the fish, and then parted ways from the Birthday girl. They were going to see a movie, and I was tired...and crabby because I was showing no signs of labor. And it was October 28. Franklet's due date. And I'm a timely person. So my baby should be too.

Jeremy and I walked back to the car, and I requested to walk the long way around (the Mall of America is almost 1 mile around each floor so I thought the additional walking would be good). We walked about a quarter of the way around the Mall, and something happened. I won't go into details but I thought I peed my pants.

We ran/walked/waddled back to the car as fast as possible, which was parked at the aforementioned, Sears. I wanted to go to the restroom before leaving to check out the situation.
I got in the bathroom and was so freaked out/scared/confused that I ripped my pants off myself.
Yes, you read that correctly, I ripped my $200 Joe's Maternity jeans off of myself.
From the waistband clear down to the knee.
Ripped my pants off myself.

Still confused about what had just occurred, I ran out of the bathroom, laughing, crying, and generally freaking out. And, holding my fleece jacket in front of myself to hide the situation.
The situation of the jeans ripped off myself.
Jeremy took one look at me and thought something horrible had happened as I was in an absolute panic.
I moved my fleece jacket away from my lap to reveal the pants situation and then Jeremy joined me in the hysteric laughter.
We literally ran as fast as a 9 month pregnant lady can run to the car.
And continued to freak out.
I still wasn't sure what exactly happened as it just wasn't like what happens in the movies.

We called the doctor in the car, and he informed me I should go straight to the hospital to see if it was in fact my water that broke. I politely said, "Ok" and then informed Jeremy that we were absolutely not going straight to the hospital.
A trip home to change my pants was a necessity.
We ran home, I changed out of the $200, torn in half jeans, and headed straight to the hospital.

The part about the real bearded Santas is fairly irrelevant to the story, but it was strange.
And of course there had to be a real bearded Santa convention.
At the Mall of America.
And of course my water broke after visiting underwater world.
And clearly I would tear my overpriced jeans off in Sears.
Of course.

And the rest is history. We went to the hospital. It was in fact my water that broke. 24 hours of labor ensued, and ended up in a c section, and then our beautiful baby girl was born.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Friday, October 26, 2012

Yep, I'm still pregnant. Thank you to everyone for the calls, texts, gmail messages etc...But, I'm still pregnant. Trying to get less pregnant, but for now, still pregnant.My due date is Sunday so everyone cross your fingers that she arrives before then. As I have mentioned before...I really don't want to have a Halloween baby. The nightmares of Doctors in costume have only intensified as the due date nears. I'm totally cool with Halloween themed birthday parties, but, if a hospital food service worker shows up in my room dressed up like a doctor, and tries to deliver my baby, or conversely, the doctor shows up, dressed like Big Bird....I will have to personally deliver this child myself.I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone for their love and kindness thoughout this process. I really cannot explain how lucky I feel to have you all in my life. This is going to be one loved little girl I cannot wait for her to arrive and meet all of her cheerleaders.
Lately, the days are long, I don't know what tomorrow will bring. I'm scared, nervous, excited, anxious, emotional and just plain crazy.And I don't know what I would do without the world's best friends and family.The other night, I sat on couch, watching Chicago Fire with Jeremy (because he loves tragedy TV), complaining that I thought my pelvic bone might actually implode, and then I got a text message from a girlfriend who lives in Wisconsin. She just said that she was thinking about me, and was excited for me to start this next journey as a mom, and the she knew I would be an amazing mom. Words cannot express how much this thought and concern means to me.

So, I thought I would just take a quick minute to thank everyone for the little things they have done to make me smile lately. You sure know how to make a girl feel special and loved. And, I don't say these things to sound brag-ey, so I hope it doesn't come off that way. But, I just want you all to know I am thankful. GIGANTIC THANKS... To my mom: Who is just generally an amazing person, but who has also been there for the 800 phone calls per day explaining my symptom du jour. And always knows what to say to comfort me, and make me feel better. Or, who will get amped up with me, if that's what I want. Because sometimes I just want to rant. And she lets me rant.To my Dad: Who brought over his wedding ring for me to wear because my engagement ring and wedding bands were too tight due to swelling and I had to take them off. He thought I would feel better if I had something on my hand, and figured his wedding ring would fit, and would have meaning to me.To my cousin Jen who checks in almost daily to see if there's any 'progress' and see how I am feeling.To my friend Debra sent me this quote the other day:Generally speaking, the busier someone is the faster time
flies, the less they worry, the more friends they have, the farther they
travel, the quicker they rebound, the richer they become, and the happier they
are.Debra, and our other preggo friend Rachel, have been the most amazing support system a girl could ask for. We did not plan to be pregnant at the same time....but I do have to say, I would recommend it! I have never, for one minute, felt alone, like I didn't have someone to talk to, or as though nobody understood what I was going through. Things certainly do happen for a reason, and I am so thankful that this one turned out the way it did. To my friend Steph who calls when she's driving by a restaurant to see if she can pick up dinner for us and drop it off. To Jeremy's cousins who, before leaving town, sent us their travel contact information and reminded us that they would be checking that email, and thinking of us, and wanted updates. To my Auntie who is already trying to 'squish and kiss' the baby, even though she's still in my belly.To our friend Sam who sent a text message saying how excited he is to meet the Franklet. To my sister and her husband who dropped of guacamole. Because they saw it and thought of me. (Not sure if I should be flattered that guacamole makes you think of me :-) )To my blog-buddy/sorority sister Kristin who is also still pregnant. And cranky. And whose blog has gotten me through the past 9+ months. To my Stacy, who is my best friend and inspiration. The one person in my life who calls me out on my crap and makes me a better person. She loves me for who I am, but pushes me to be better. My life changed dramatically the day I met her. There are countless more, and I cannot thank you all enough. Perhaps it's the hormones, but there are tears streaming down my face as I write this.I think it's the hormones. But I also think you are all amazing.I think I forgot to thank one pretty important person...Jeremy. Thank you for....

Spending hours researching the safest baby gear on the market.

Took registering for baby goods WAY more seriously than me. (I was standing in a corner freaking out that all of this stuff was going to be in my tidy house)

Took me on a fabulously random Babymoon.

Allowed me to spend months plotting the decor of the baby's room. And never criticized my neurosis over finding "just the right lamp."

Who doesn't (usually) say "no" when I come up with a crazy home improvement idea. Like painting pumpkins(and then allowing me to walk away until the 'fun part'). Or tiling over a brand new floor in our house. Or repainting a room in nearly the exact same color because it is "just a touch brighter". Or considering putting our house up for sale 2 weeks before our first child is born (we didn't do this one...but I'm still considering it. I love a project!)

For taking me out on fun dates to our favorite restaurants so we can embrace our last few moments without a child.

And for generally putting up with my shenanigans. There can be a lot of it. Everyone keeps asking me if Jeremy is scared to be a father. My response, "I think he was born to be a father". If he cares about this baby even half as much as he cares about his dogs, then she will be the luckiest, and safest girl in the world. I hope this is the last blog post before baby...THANK YOU EVERYONE. I love you all.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Pregnancy is not always pretty. On TV, it is super pretty, and delightful.

In real life, it's disgusting, painful, emotional, and at the end...I am certain...amazing and beautiful.

These days, it's more in the realm of the first three adjectives.

I just ran out over my lunch break to grab a sandwich.
The cafe was busy, it was noon, and for some unknown reason, they only had two people working.
Interesting staffing decision.
I stood in line, and waited to order.
The 12 year old employee walks up and asks the lady in line after me what she can make for her.
I stare at her, start to gasp, whine, stomp my feet.
Yes, I did all of those things.
Yes, I am slightly embarrassed about this.
I waddle over to the register and ask if I was supposed to take a number or something...or if there was some "sandwich ordering procedure" of which I was unaware.
Yep, I used the terms "Sandwich ordering procedure".
The 13 year old register girl looks at me like I am nuts, and tells me to wait in line.
I tell her I WAS waiting in line, but she helped the lady AFTER me.
The 13 year old just shrugs her shoulders.
I walk back over to the line, hungry, 9 months pregnant, crabby that my baby is not here yet.
As though those things are their problems.

The 12 year old sandwich girl helps the next person in line. 2 people after me.

I lose it.
Like actually physically lose it.
She looks at me and says, "Oh, I didn't see you standing there."
Uh, for real? I'm gigantically pregnant and stomping around. You didn't see me?
I stomp out of the cafe.

It was bad. Why am I sharing this with you?
I have no idea. I have no filter.
And, I'm a truth-teller. And this is the truth.
Sometimes you just have a breakdown in the sandwich line because they help the people after you , instead of you, and you are 9 months pregnant, and your back hurts, and your feet are swollen, and you just want to eat a sandwich and meet your baby.
Is that so much to ask?

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Still going to the gym as much as possible (though this week may be less as I can barely walk to the bathroom anymore).

Still trying to be the best darn dog-mom I can be before this little girl comes into our house and rocks our little dogs worlds.

And sometimes the sanity breaks. And you just can't handle life anymore.

And so you eat guacamole and frozen yogurt for dinner.

And that was last night. I just could not bear to cook. And didn't really want to eat. There's no room left for food. Baby's taking up all the space.

So we ate guacamole.
And went out for Fro Yo.
And I attempted to tie up loose ends around the house (for some reason my nesting is taking the form of making sure that everything in our house is in tip top shape....new water filter in the refrigerator, heating system is in perfect condition and filters are changed, house is sterile...this is my version of nesting)
And then I hugged my dogs.

Sometimes you just need to give up and eat guacamole.
And Fro Yo.
And the world seems like a much more manageable place.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Yesterday I went to the doctor for my weekly visit to see how baby is progressing. I am fully effaced and 1 cm dilated. Which is not much, but it also doesn't mean anything because you can go from 1 cm to 10 cm in an hour.

She examined everything and informed us that often things happen after an exam (i.e. You progress further in the 'stages of labor' because they have jostled things around).

Last night, I was pretty uncomfortable after the exam, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I arrived home after dinner with a couple of girlfriends, and told Jeremy about a big meeting that I had this morning. I was meeting with 3-4 big, important, wealthy, CEOs to tour a building that we are considering purchasing at work. Normally, this would not make me nervous. However, I was concerned because of the jostling that had just occurred by the doctor.

I just envisioned walking through this building, with 4 men in blue suits, all very important men, and then, in the middle of the tour...my water breaks.

Because that is how it would happen for me.

I tried to put it out of my mind.
And then I tried to get out of the tour.
I had nightmares about it all night.
I considered calling in sick to work due to lack of outfit choices, and complete panic over this tour and my potential labor-mid-tour.
And finally, I just went for it.
I pulled up and was waiting outside the building for everyone to arrive.

The first guy shows up in a brand new Lexus. All I can think is...I cannot ask for a ride to the hospital in this guy's gorgeous Lexus.
And then the next guy pulls up. And it gets worse. He pulls up in a LOTUS.
Like this.

Holy hell.
My water cannot break in a Lotus.
I cannot ride to the hospital in a Lotus.
I don't want my water to break in front of a guy who drives a Lotus.
Basically, I believed my world was ending.
So I quickly texted some girlfriends and informed them that I was about to encounter the worlds most uncomfortable situation.
I was absolutely certain that if there was anyone in the world whose water would break in some stranger's Lotus, that it would be me.

Lexus guy walks in the building. Lotus guy walks in the building. Other guys soon show up.
One of the guys who I knew commented, "You're still pregnant?"
And I responded, "Yes, I'm due in 1 week and I'm hoping my water doesn't break this morning in your Lotus (and I point to the Lotus owner)"

Really, Kara? You couldn't have just kept quiet?

The guys laugh awkwardly, and then start talking business. One of the guys walks over to me and explains that he is about to be a Grandpa for the first time in February. We bond. I am thankful for this guy.

We begin our tour through the building and I try my hardest to keep my mouth shut and not make further awkward comments about my impending labor. Try. Without success. Several awkward comments slip out.

The tour finishes in about 45 minutes and then everyone decides to convene in a conference room to talk.
We sit down in a conference room and I spend the next 30 minutes crossing my legs, talking to the Franklet in my head, telling her this is not the right time for her to arrive, and praying that she can just hold out for another hour.
I did not hear a word these guys said.
I was just praying.

The 30 longest minutes of my life pass, and we walk towards the door. Well, they all walk, I nearly sprint my 9 month pregnant ass towards the door.

They exchange pleasantries and I literally run out the door. Racing towards my car, and away from Lotus and Lexus.

Water did not break. Labor did not start.
I have never been so happy in my life.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Just because we are moments away from having a baby does NOT give us an excuse not to embrace my favorite season. And this includes one of my all time favorite activities, carving pumpkins. (and eating candy corn)

I wasn't up for the full carving program. Well, that's kind-of a lie, I was totally up for it, Jeremy was not, and so we tried our hands at painting a pumpkin this year.

So, here is our first attempt at painting a pumpkin. We taped off the areas we wanted to remain orange (well Jeremy taped them off per my instructions), and then we painted on top of it using paint we had leftover around the house.

HINT: this is the color and motif of the baby's room. Well not the orange.

Painting pumpkins...WAY easier than carving pumpkins. And probably a much safer activity for Franklet.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Watermelon

About the size of a watermelon (though my app says it's been a watermelon for the last 3 weeks. I guess babies top out at watermelons)...

You know when you pick up a watermelon at the grocery store and it's very large, and heavy, and awkward to hold. Yea, that's kind-of how I feel right now.

Maternity Clothes?

The tank top in this photo is actually not a maternity tank. I have given up on maternity clothes. I have a full supply of summer clothing, but I never purchased Fall items. And, at this point, baby is due in less than 2 weeks...I am NOT buying clothing. So, it's tank tops and cardigans until she arrives.

Stretch marks?

Still no stretch marks. Hallelujah!

Best Moments?

Installing our car seats. Somehow this all feels a lot more real when you look behind you in the car and see a car seat sitting there.

Also, a friend of Jeremy's had a baby last week and posted a picture on Facebook yesterday. He was staring at the photo and then looking at me, staring at the photo...looking back at me. Finally, he remarks, this baby looks big! How does it fit in there? Excellent question. Answered only by my extreme discomfort at this time.

Movement?

Absolutely. She still moves a ton, but the movements continue to be slower, stronger and more frequent. My hope is that I can feel her move even when she is sleeping...or my fear...which is that she never sleeps, because you can ALWAYS feel something moving in there.

Food Cravings?

I continue to have more aversions than cravings. Most meat still sounds absolutely disgusting to me, and I find a new food each day that I think I will never eat again.

I could lie and say that I crave candy corn. But that has nothing to do with pregnancy. I crave candy corn every fall. (and winter and spring)

Anything making you queasy or sick?

Most all food. Things are just not sitting well with me these days. I think baby is just pressing on my stomach and making food feel gross. Soup is my go-to food right now.

What I'm looking forward to?

Cuddling our baby

Sleeping on my back

Feeling my right leg

Seeing what the Franklet looks like

Getting out of bed with ease

Putting my wedding ring back on (Yes, my hands have officially swollen up so much I had to take my ring off. And yes, I cried about this)

Introducing Franklet to our friends and family

Getting to know our baby

Watching our dogs reaction to her

Not peeing every 10 minutes

Symptoms?

I think I listed most of them above, but let's just say the end of pregnancy is not delightful. You ache in parts of your body you never knew existed, your emotions are completely out of whack and you are beyond anxious about the impending arrival.

I started panicking yesterday at the gym. I was working out on the elliptical machine thinking...what if my water breaks while I'm on this thing.

And then it looks like I just peed all over the machine.

And what do I do?

Do I grab a towel and wrap it around myself?

Do I look around for someone that looks like a mom and grab her and hope she knows what to do?

Do I stand here and cry?

I never answered it, but I spent the entire 30 minutes thinking of possible scenarios and resolutions.

Gender?

Can't wait to meet our little Girl!!

Two more weeks until the Franklet's due date! And, I'm not trying to sound cynical here, but don't tell me that 1st babies are always late. And then please, don't proceed to tell me your awful horrible birth story. That is not encouraging. Just give me a hug. That's basically all I need right now. No horror stories, no lectures about how it doesn't matter what doctor is there at the time of delivery, no demands about how I must do things the way you did them, just send over some love. We could use it these days.

Friday, October 12, 2012

And, as I am about to embark on parenting myself, I have found myself thinking back at the parenting that I received, and the kind of parent that I want to be. For the most part, I want to be a lot like my parents, with the exception of my Dad's horrible jokes and embarrassing antics.And, I hope, when my daughter is old enough to become a parent, that I am still making her laugh so hard she spits coffee across a room, like my parents continue to do. (Yes, I'm still drinking coffee...don't judge)Case in point. Email I just received from my mom:I
just called labor and delivery at the hospital, told them my daughter will be
delivering there in 2-3 weeks and want to know if I/she can bring a
favorite stuffed animal-small-into labor and delivery. She said "of
course" just not in the crib.

That said, dad found a smaller cow like Milky(my favorite childhood stuffed animal) for you or do you want Milky? He is afraid it might get lost???

Love, me

Yes, my mom called labor and delivery at the hospital to find out if she could bring a stuffed animal for her daughter. Yes, they probably think her daughter is 13 and got knocked up and is scared. I'm guessing I am not what that labor and delivery nurse envisioned when she received this phone call.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Franklet is due in 17 days.
That is insane.
I would like to say that this time has flown by, because that's what everyone says.
And I feel like that is what I am supposed to say.
But I just can't lie.
I'm a terrible liar.
But the truth is, it has crept along, and I feel like I have been pregnant for the past 20 years.
I remember taking this photo and thinking....oh my gosh, my belly is getting BIG...

Note the slight curvature around the middle...apparently that's what I thought was 'big'

And then a few weeks ago, we took this photo.

Okay, now there's some curvature

That first picture does not feel like yesterday. It feels like the aforementioned 20 years ago.
So, when people ask if "I'm ready"? I respond, YES. Ready as I will ever be.
Ready to hold this little girl in my arms instead of my belly.
Ready to hug and kiss her.
Ready to see what she looks like (I look nothing like the rest of my family).
Ready for sleepless nights, bags under our eyes, mountains of diapers and spit-up all over our clothes.
Ready to see Stanley and Punky's reaction to their new little sister.

Ready as we'll ever be.

Now, I was thinking back and wondering if there are things about this that I will miss, or...not miss. I thought I'd share a few.I will miss...

Eating ice cream and not feeling guilty about it. Calcium is good for the baby.

People holding doors for me, offering up chairs, and constantly asking if I need anything. A girl could get used to that.

Nice comments from coworkers, particularly on days when I'm certainly not feeling my best, that just say, "You are adorable", or "You look great today". Thank you coworkers.

Husband bringing me things while I sit on the couch. Particularly when I make requests like, "Can you please bring Stanley to me. And a cookie."

Stanley's obsession with my belly. As time goes on, his love of my belly continues. I don't know what I'll do without my little suction cup dog anymore! Perhaps he will continue to stay glued to me, but I'm thinking he will become glued to his sister instead.

The ease of getting ready in the morning when you only have a very limited supply of clothing. Makes the decision making process very easy!

Feeling my baby girl move all day long. She doesn't seem to sleep. It's clear she is already a clone of her mother.

I will not miss...

Random strangers touching my belly. ALL. THE. TIME. Today, at a lunch meeting, two men that I didn't know very well both walked up and touched my belly. That's strange. Friends and family, go ahead and touch, but people whose names I don't know...please stay away. I don't touch your belly.

Comments from people like, "You look like you're going to POP!" or "You're like Jessica Simpson, I feel like you've been pregnant forever" or "Your belly looks way too small to be XYZ months along". None of those aforementioned comments are helpful. Just tell the person how amazing they look. Even if they look terrible. It doesn't matter. Lie.

Swollen hands and feet that look more like paws than hands.

Sciatica. It's awful. They say it goes away when the baby is born. It better. There's nothing like waking up in the middle of the night because you have to pee, and then literally falling to the floor because your leg is numb. Fun times.

Feeling helpless. A lot of people love to have things done for them, not me. I really like to do things on my own. I hate asking for help. I hate saying I can't do something. So, it's incredibly frustrating for me to ask for help, but it has also probably been a good lesson. Sometimes, it's okay for Jeremy to do the laundry or take the heavy pan out of the drawer or make dinner. He's always happy to do these things when I ask. I guess this was a good primer on how to ask for help.

Sleeping on my side. It sucks. I don't know why people choose to do it.

Watching the scale go up and up and up. I have been very fortunate to stay in the very healthy range of what you are supposed to gain during pregnancy. However, it is scary nonetheless. As someone who has struggled with her weight her entire life, it is incredibly frightening to see the scale move in that direction. And attempt to be happy about it.

Monday, October 8, 2012

We were successful in completing our two weekend goals...
#1 Get the car seat bases installed - CHECK!
#2 Pack the hospital bag (which they tell you to do at the beginning of the 3rd trimester...woops...guess I was like 2 months late) - CHECK!

I thought I would let you all know what we packed, just in case it is helpful to anyone. Another girlfriend of mine posted her packing list and I thought it was amazingly helpful.

So, here goes....

Comfortable outfit to wear in the hospital after baby is born. I do not want to wear my own clothes during labor. Gross. Give me the hospital gown. But afterwards, I would like to be in something mildly presentable for visitors.

Punky was a very helpful packing assistant (see background of the photo)

After many, many discussions, we have decided to bank our baby's cord blood through a private banking service. I know some people find this controversial, but for us, it is the right decision. So, we have our CBR cord blood kit ready to go.

Hard Candy. After you are given the epidural, you are not allowed to eat anymore, but my sources tell me that your mouth gets quite dry. Everyone suggests bringing hard candy for a little sugar and to help with the dry mouth situation. Not pictured but in the bag: chapstick. Another item I have heard is critical.

No, I didn't pack my dogs, though I wanted to. The books tell you to pack things that help you relax. My dogs help me relax. But apparently they're not allowed. Rude. So, instead, we packed a framed photo of our babies to help us welcome our new baby. Looking at a picture of these two is all that I really need to calm down.

Flip flops to wear around the hospital. I hate being barefoot. I hate touching weird floors with my feet. And I love flip flops.

A "going home" outfit. They say you will still look about 6 months pregnant when you leave the hospital, and well, I'm not exactly on my way out to a pageant, so my going home outfit consists of: a nursing tank top, Lululemon pants, a cardigan and sneakers.

iPad/iPhone charger. Fortunately, we have hundreds of these laying around our house, so we just stuck one right in the bag so we don't forget it.

Cozy socks to wear in the hospital. My friend Ali tells me that it is both cold in the hospital, and the fluids and medications make you feel even colder. Therefore, warm cozy socks are helpful to keep your feet warm. And I'm always cold. Always.

Toiletries: Hairbrush, one of my favorite Lululemon headbands to keep my bangs out of my face, 800 hair binders and bobby pins (have I mentioned I hate having hair in my face), toothbrush and toothpaste, face wash, deodorant, my own shampoo (friend Ali also says the hospital shampoo is terrible, bring your own) and floss (my mom would be so proud).

Fully charged flip cam and regular camera (and charging cables)

Other items not pictured:

Nursing bra

Underwear and regular socks

Snacks (The hospital obviously provides meals, but everyone suggests bringing your own snacks. And at times, I can be picky, and I'm thinking this will be one of those times. Best to have my own snacks)

Everyone says we should bring an iPod with our own music for labor on it. I'm not sure what "labor music" is supposed to sound like. I'm not sure that I'm the kind of girl who goes with her own music. Maybe I am. I need to think about this one. Do you put calming music on there? Or is it like a running mix to get you pumped up? I might have to skip this one. Unless one of you guys wants to make me a labor mix. That would be delightful.

And then...Jeremy added his clothes to the bag. "His clothes" included 4 hoodies, 5 undershirts, 2 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of men's Lululemon pants (this is starting to sound like an advertisement for Lululemon...but seriously, I'm a little obsessed), 2 pairs of shoes, and a full toiletry bag. Apparently Jeremy is moving into the hospital.

You might have noticed that we have not packed anything for the baby. This is not an oversight. As I mentioned previously, we are Jewish, and follow the Jewish tradition that tells you not to purchase anything for the baby until they are born. So, we have nothing. Well, we have a free diaper that was given to us as a sample at Costco one day, but other than that, nothing. Never fear, Grandma (aka. my mom) has EVERYTHING. So, once the baby is born, and we know she is safe and sound, she will bring whatever we need to the hospital.

You might be asking yourself, "Seriously, you have nothing? Are you concerned about that?" No, not really. First, we have an amazing family, and they are quite prepared. Second, we have incredible friends, who will be there to help us as well (and we will return the favor for them when their time comes). So no, it really does take a village to raise a child, and this is the first example.

Friday, October 5, 2012

1. Get our car seat bases installed in our cars.
Jeremy contacted the fire department in our city, and they will do it for us.
Teach us how to install it properly.
Ensure that the Franklet is safe.

Some people say it's not that hard to do, but we are not handy. We are visionaries. Which means we can hire people to follow our vision. But, we can't really physically execute anything. So we are outsourcing. To the firemen. Then we know the Franklet will be safe and sound.

I tried filling up a glass of water in the bathroom this morning, while also using my hair dryer at the same time (I'm a multitasker) and Jeremy nearly had a heart attack. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. Major breach of safety protocol.

Yea, we'll leave the car seat install to the firemen.

2. Pack the hospital bag.
My app told me to do this a couple of weeks ago but I kept making excuses. I swore I didn't have 'just the right type of bag', or 'exactly the right outfit'.

Turns out I have run out of excuses, and we should actually do this.
Otherwise, we will show up at the hospital with 1 sock, 4 hoodies, a cell phone charger and a dog leash.
I am notorious for forgetting to pack critical items and over packing unnecessary items.
It's the ADD. I get distracted.
Therefore it is pretty important that we actually put some time and thought into this task.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Now that we are down to less than a month until the Franklet arrives, people have started making predictions.

Mostly my coworkers.

And my mom. Who thinks I have two weeks to go.

And my Grandpa. Who apparently thinks the baby is going to be born tomorrow.

I arrived at work today and one of my coworkers explained that she had her second dream about my baby being born. She was sure it was real this time and that I wasn't going to be at work today. Nope.

About an hour later another coworker shows up at my door and says he had the strangest dream last night. He dreamt that I was 2 weeks late in having my baby and I was a gigantic bitch for those two weeks.

Well that one, doesn't sound too far from the reality should that situation arise.

I think the tiny human in my belly is making me and everyone around me a bit nuts.

My sister answers the phone every time I call with..."ARE YOU IN LABOR?"

Jeremy thinks the Franklet is nice and comfy and plans to stay a while. He knows that I like to stay under the covers in bed as long as possible, and he's thinking that our daughter might feel the same way. She's nice and cozy and doesn't want to be disrupted.

Regardless...we have 3.5 weeks to go people...relax!

(I'm really saying that to myself, because above all, I am the most neurotically agitated at this particular time)

About Kara Leigh Frank

I'm just a girl in my 20's trying to find my way in the world and leave it a little better than when I came. I love to laugh, hopefully that will become abundantly clear if you read my blog. I also firmly believe that life should not be taken too seriously, you could say that's my motto. Minnesota girl - enjoying life - trying to figure it all out.

Subscribe To Just Being Frank

What began as a wedding blog has evolved a bit. I began to write about my stumbles through wedding planning, and found that it had little to do with said topic. Rather, it was an outlet to describe some of the ridiculousness that tends to follow me. So, with that, and with the wedding behind us, I will charge on. If you will continue to read. If not, I will likely still charge on. Charging, writing, blogging, to myself. So read please!